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68th out of 440 books
—
518 voters
The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon #7)
by
Daniel Silva
In Amsterdam, a terrorism analyst named Ephraim Rosner lies dead, brutally murdered by a Muslim immigrant. The Amsterdam police believe the killer is a deranged extremist, but others know better. Just twenty-four hours before, Rosner had requested an urgent meeting with Israeli intelligence. Now it is Gabriel Allon's job to find out what Rosner knew, and when he does, it c...more
Hardcover, 385 pages
Published
July 24th 2007
by Putnam Adult
(first published 2007)
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My first Daniel Silva read was Portrait of a Spy. Enjoyed it so much, I couldn't wait to get into this one. The Secret Servant goes back a few years in the career of Gabriel Allon, Silva's art-restoring spy (what a combination!). I also noted that this work won the Publishers' Weekly Best Book of the Year award when it came out.
In terms of word craft, The Secret Servant did not disappoint. Silva has a command of the language that can, at its best, enthrall.
But by the time I got about halfway int...more
In terms of word craft, The Secret Servant did not disappoint. Silva has a command of the language that can, at its best, enthrall.
But by the time I got about halfway int...more
I don't know what number this is in the Gabriel Allon series (I think the 9th?), but like all the other books Daniel Silva writes it contains a great deal of information about Middle Eastern politics and the U.S / England's relationships with countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Though Jewish himself, Silva writes with the knowledge that certain political alignments will never garner the outcome desired in the region: PEACE.
For any of you looking to learn more, and to read fantastic spy novel...more
For any of you looking to learn more, and to read fantastic spy novel...more
Feb 19, 2009
Ed
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Thriller and Spy Story Fans
Shelves:
spy-political-thriller,
reviewed
In a review of "The Messenger" which precedes this book, I said, "In spite of my carping, I will read the next in the series, "The Secret Servant" but I'll wait for the mass market paperback edition."
Well, I'm glad I did. The story is well plotted, the characters, less stereotyped, and the atmosphere current and realistic. Gabriel Allon does very brave, almost unbelievable things but somehow, in the context of this story, they make sense.
It's the kind of book that is very difficult to put down....more
Well, I'm glad I did. The story is well plotted, the characters, less stereotyped, and the atmosphere current and realistic. Gabriel Allon does very brave, almost unbelievable things but somehow, in the context of this story, they make sense.
It's the kind of book that is very difficult to put down....more
Gabriel Allon 7. Allon fights Sword of Allah, kills the Sphinx, marries Chiara. The shadowy Sword of Allah kidnaps Elizabeth Halton, daughter of the US ambassador to UK-which Allon happens to join late and kill three kidnappers. The kidnappers wait a week to make their demand--trade the daughter for Sheik Abdullah in SuperMax. Allon's near simultaneous cleaning of an Isreali plant killed in Amsterdam seems strangely tangential. The first lead comes from a helpful former jihadist Ibrahim, who no...more
I took a break from Silva's series and now I've back to it still pleased with the way the hero is not a superhuman and bad things happen to him. In fact, bad things happen to everyone which means that as a reader, even though this is a series, I'm not really sure if the kidnap victim gets saved. Silva's protagonist is a government secret ops worker for Israel. Even so, Silva presents both sides of the very difficult conflict that exist between the Israeli and Arab worlds. What he doesn't forget,...more
Caida
Mrs. Shakir
2nd period
24 May 2011
The Secret Servant Book Report
Daniel Silva’s book The Secret Servant fallows an Israeli spy named Gabriel Allon. Gabriel Allon is a very conflicted spy. He has the soul of an art restorer but has been recruited by the Israeli government and turned in to a ruthless killer. Gabriel had just finished restoring a painting when he was called in to action. Gabriel begrudgingly agrees to help find the kidnapped daughter of an American ambassador. The ambassador’s...more
Mrs. Shakir
2nd period
24 May 2011
The Secret Servant Book Report
Daniel Silva’s book The Secret Servant fallows an Israeli spy named Gabriel Allon. Gabriel Allon is a very conflicted spy. He has the soul of an art restorer but has been recruited by the Israeli government and turned in to a ruthless killer. Gabriel had just finished restoring a painting when he was called in to action. Gabriel begrudgingly agrees to help find the kidnapped daughter of an American ambassador. The ambassador’s...more
Seventh in the Gabriel Allon series. Gabriel is tracking Islamic jihadists again, this time after they’ve kidnapped the daughter of the American ambassador to the United Kingdom. Allon, of course, gets involved and not only is there when she is kidnapped and just misses stopping it in the nick of time, but also is involved in her eventual rescue, becoming a hostage himself for a period of time. Adrian Carter (Dep. Director of CIA) is in the picture again, as are the Office operatives from previo...more
Another great book! I enjoy these books immensely (came upon them quite by chance, picking one up at random at the local library--since then I've been completely hooked & I am now steam rolling my way thru them!).
Gabriel Allon is better than Bond. More human, more emotional, also, in a committed relationship. No bond groupies!
He faces defeat, turmoil, negativity, jealousy...his is not a glamourous life. He is such an enjoyable character, a reluctant hero but a hero nonetheless--one who is d...more
Gabriel Allon is better than Bond. More human, more emotional, also, in a committed relationship. No bond groupies!
He faces defeat, turmoil, negativity, jealousy...his is not a glamourous life. He is such an enjoyable character, a reluctant hero but a hero nonetheless--one who is d...more
Daniel Silva has created an excellent addition to the Gabriel Allon series that is perhaps the best yet. Get ready for fast paced, edgy, current, and sometimes nail biting entertainment as Gabriel is assigned his latest case. He is dispatched to Holland to investigate the death of an Israeli "asset." From there Gabriel is once again embroiled in a situation that goes from troubling to terrifying within days. One of the things about this series that make it so good is that it is so disturbingly r...more
Gabriel Aulon is an agent with "The Office" a secret service unit of Israeli intelligence, who gets involved in rescuing the daughter of the American ambassador to Great Britain who has been abducted and held for ramson by "terrorists" from the Sword of Allah, a radical Islamist group based in Egypt but guided by a secret leader known only as "the Sphinx." As a spy novel it is well done and keeps you guessing.
However, in many ways the author seems to be writing an apologetic for Israel, depictin...more
However, in many ways the author seems to be writing an apologetic for Israel, depictin...more
I'm addicted to Gabriel Allon... A hot, greying spy whose cover is as an uber-successful art restorer? How can I not? For someone with an odd affinity for spy novels and a deep love of Renaissance art, this charcter is quintessential.
This is not Silva's best book, but he has managed not to disappoint in the often-difficult task of developing his characters, "growing" them so to speak, as the series continues. I cannot wait for the next one!
This is not Silva's best book, but he has managed not to disappoint in the often-difficult task of developing his characters, "growing" them so to speak, as the series continues. I cannot wait for the next one!
I really enjoyed this novel. Gabriel Allon and his cast of characters come to the rescue again. This story is also a update and a warning on what is happening in the Muslim community in the European countries.Almost prophetic in some instances. The author uses a lot of misdirection in this novel. The story starts as a Israeli operative is assassinated in Amsterdam. As he had some spot on intelligence in the past the Mossad wants to go through his records and find out his sources. As they are doi...more
Silva is the only one of this genre that I read and I love them. Silva and Christopher Buckley's Florance of Arabia are my main instructors on the Middle East today.
But this one was not my favorite. Dialogue was annoyingly cliched. Why does Silva always make the super Jewish spy rescue some well bred shiksa? Also found him more dogmatic than ever before. Can't deny it was a page-turner! After this, need something more edifying.
But this one was not my favorite. Dialogue was annoyingly cliched. Why does Silva always make the super Jewish spy rescue some well bred shiksa? Also found him more dogmatic than ever before. Can't deny it was a page-turner! After this, need something more edifying.
By far the best in the series of modern-day Isreal counterterrorism novels by Daniel Silva. Continuing the story of hero Gabriel Alon and his team in the "office" this one deals with the fictional Sword of Allah, Egypt prior to this year's Arab Spring and the fall of Mubarik, and the kidnapping of the daughter of the American ambassador to England, who also happens to be the goddaughter of the President of the U.S. This is a very lengthy book full of details on the rise of the movement that will...more
Feb 05, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Daniel Silva has created a complex and compellingly flawed hero in Gabriel Allon, who makes his seventh appearance in this edgy thriller (after The Messenger, **** Nov/Dec 2006). Though a few reviewers considered the plot somewhat formulaic, most praised the book's riveting action and edge-of-your-seat suspense. However, they reacted differently to the underlying political themes. While some critics applauded The Secret Servant as a serious exploration of the psychology of radical Islam masquera
...more
NOTE: This review was written based on the Audio CD version.
Daniel Silva's "The Secret Servant" is the best "Book on Tape" that I have listened to in awhile. There have been times when I almost wish that my commute was longer or that we'd had some heavier traffic just so I could listen to more of the book each day!
Credit begins with Silva's novel - the pacing was fantastic. The mix between action and pauses, the characters & dialog, the overall plot were quite well done. I'll never know (no...more
Daniel Silva's "The Secret Servant" is the best "Book on Tape" that I have listened to in awhile. There have been times when I almost wish that my commute was longer or that we'd had some heavier traffic just so I could listen to more of the book each day!
Credit begins with Silva's novel - the pacing was fantastic. The mix between action and pauses, the characters & dialog, the overall plot were quite well done. I'll never know (no...more
Jul 08, 2010
Mappi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
daniel-silva,
read-2010
A good thriller that I had come across in recent readings. Usually I read a book twice or thrice after a bit of interval between each read, but this book, I read several chapters Twice immediately as I enjoyed reading them. Especially the chapters involving the Kidnaps and surveillance made me feel at an edge. The only thing that I noted is towards the end - it dragged a little bit, but the intense picked up at the right moment with an excellant climax.
I came across a review which said that the...more
I came across a review which said that the...more
I have rather questionable timing when it comes to reading these Daniel Silva Gabriel Allon novels. Last time, and prior to a trip to Italy (including Rome), I read about the Vatican getting blown-up and here, with The Secret Servant, I found myself delving into a book about a London terror attack just days before the start of the 2012 Olympics. While it is a world of fiction, Silva always has it based enough in reality -- and potential reality -- to be unsettling.
As I say in most reviews here t...more
As I say in most reviews here t...more
Many years ago I enjoyed "spy stories" by John LeCarre. Daniel Silva is a wonderful modern author in this genre. One can easily see his books becoming movies, filled with suspense, action, plot twists, and some political opinions. I marvel at the research he must have undertaken to write such books, even if they are all fiction. They are based on an understanding of some of todays' threats. His hero is an Israeli, but he gives glimpses of the point of view of the other side of each issue. He pon...more
Daniel Silva has yet again written a novel that at the same time will entertain and scare the hell out of you!
In "The Secret Servant", Gabriel Allon, the avenging angel of Israel's formidable secret service, is back to do battle again with the ever-rising tide of radical Islam terrorism. Sent to Amsterdam on a seemingly routine mission to clean up after an assassinated undercover agent, Allon unwittingly uncovers an Al Qaeda-like plot which leads him to London and Elizabeth Halton, the daughter...more
In "The Secret Servant", Gabriel Allon, the avenging angel of Israel's formidable secret service, is back to do battle again with the ever-rising tide of radical Islam terrorism. Sent to Amsterdam on a seemingly routine mission to clean up after an assassinated undercover agent, Allon unwittingly uncovers an Al Qaeda-like plot which leads him to London and Elizabeth Halton, the daughter...more
This book is a fascinating read because it deals with European Muslims and the fanatic off shoots from that group. I didn't know much about this topic and it was a good way to learn a little bit about the dynamics.
This book is very pro-Israeli (I mean the hero is from Israeli secret service, Mosad, I think), but it does present a balance view with very sympathetic and pro-Islamic characters.
There were some twists at the end, but overall, the ending was predictable in a very broad sense. Still, i...more
This book is very pro-Israeli (I mean the hero is from Israeli secret service, Mosad, I think), but it does present a balance view with very sympathetic and pro-Islamic characters.
There were some twists at the end, but overall, the ending was predictable in a very broad sense. Still, i...more
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva brings back Israeli spy Gabriel Allon in this seventh installment. This time we find Allon as a weary, tired agent ready to hang up his holster and, unwillingly, accept his fate in management.
Master art restorer and Israeli agent Gabriel Allon is on his way to Amsterdam to look through the archives of an Israeli asset that has been murdered. A routine assignment perhaps, but Allon soon discovers that the Islamic underground plots to commits acts...more
Master art restorer and Israeli agent Gabriel Allon is on his way to Amsterdam to look through the archives of an Israeli asset that has been murdered. A routine assignment perhaps, but Allon soon discovers that the Islamic underground plots to commits acts...more
This novel was published in 2007 yet it is this year that what was predicted in the book has come to pass in Egypt. Mubarak, his wife and two sons go on trial this week after the revolution earlier this year that toppled the "President" of almost 30 years. There is still unrest in Egypt with the army now committing the atrocities against the people.
In the book, all the bad guys come from Egypt and we travel all over Europe with Gabriel Allon, the Israeli superman hero who does it all and surviv...more
In the book, all the bad guys come from Egypt and we travel all over Europe with Gabriel Allon, the Israeli superman hero who does it all and surviv...more
Mais uma obra da série de Gabriel Allon, personagem principal das histórias de espionagem e suspense de David Silva.
Nesta história, Gabriel Allon irá salvar a filha do embaixador americano em Londres, que foi raptada por um grupo islâmico radical do Egipto. Após muitas peripécias, Gabriel e os companheiros dos serviços secretos israelitas conseguem salvar a refém e "repor a ordem no mundo".
A visão é de um autor americano, jornalista que esteve nos países do Médio Oriente muitos anos. Uma visão m...more
Nesta história, Gabriel Allon irá salvar a filha do embaixador americano em Londres, que foi raptada por um grupo islâmico radical do Egipto. Após muitas peripécias, Gabriel e os companheiros dos serviços secretos israelitas conseguem salvar a refém e "repor a ordem no mundo".
A visão é de um autor americano, jornalista que esteve nos países do Médio Oriente muitos anos. Uma visão m...more
Silva is one of my favorite. I think he's going to end up with a fatwa on his head though. He might just be the next Rushdie. Reads fast, and is written well for this genre. I'm a huge fan.
Gabriel Allon and I needed a break. I burned through the first six novels of Silva's creation with rapid speed in just a few months. After enjoying them initially, I found them devolving into well-written but predictable spy novels with interchangeable bad guys and scenarios that stretch believability. This one isn't a huge deviation from that formula, but it is good enough, and paced very well (with a little more balance on the Israel-vs.-the-world-issue) that I enjoyed it more than most of the...more
I haven't read this series in a while, but the ARC of the latest thriller from Silva featuring Israeli assassin Gabriel Allon reminds why I always liked these books.
I pulled The Secret Servant out of the bargain bin of my local bookshop some months ago because it ticked all the boxes: Israeli spy story set in Amsterdam and London. It was downhill from there.
Daniel Silva’s weakness is a tendency to be didactic. That need to over-explain becomes problematic when it results in such gems as the “Zuiderkirk church”, which even spelled correctly translates as “South church church”, or “mackintosh raincoat”, which is a “raincoat raincoat”.
The history and politics...more
Daniel Silva’s weakness is a tendency to be didactic. That need to over-explain becomes problematic when it results in such gems as the “Zuiderkirk church”, which even spelled correctly translates as “South church church”, or “mackintosh raincoat”, which is a “raincoat raincoat”.
The history and politics...more
This thriller may be from an Israeli point of view but it's still a dandy. It's an all nighter. In the author's notes he reminds us this is fiction and explains some of the liberties he's taken. None the less what is not fiction is disturbing enough. Such as the real problem Britain has in London with a wide based militant muslim population and Professor Lewis of Princeton's estimate that Europe will have a muslim majority by the end of the century. Of course the sophisticated Europeans had thei...more
Based on a promise that these books get more nuanced in their views of the Israel vs everyone else (good vs evil) I keep reading but I found myself disappointed again with the black and white message of the book -- this one it's that Muslim populations are growing in Europe and it is Europe's own damn fault if there are acts of terrorism because European countries let Muslims in. Not much subtlety in the message. But the plot twists are fun as is visiting with recurring characters. Basically thi...more
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Daniel Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that w...more
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“I can be whoever you want me to be: CIA, FBI, DIA, an agency so fucking secret you've never heard of it before." -Grabriel Allon”
—
15 people liked it
“To Pakistan? Or Afghanistan? Or Wherever-the-fuck-istan?”
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12 people liked it
More quotes…
Sep 19, 2012 06:57am
Sep 19, 2012 06:58am